March 17, 2002

Final Stats

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Senior second baseman James Jurries went 3-for-5 with two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored to lead the Tulane University baseball team past Charlotte, 16-6, Sunday afternoon in Conference USA action at Turchin Stadium.

As a team, the Green Wave out-hit the 49ers 13-9, including seven hits off Preseason C-USA Pitcher of the Year John Maine (2-4) who was saddled with the loss after giving up eight earned runs in 5.2 innings. Tulane's Michael Aubrey, meanwhile, got the win to improve to 4-0 on the year after giving up six runs (four earned) on eight hits while striking four and walking three.

With the win, Tulane avoids the series sweep and improves to 13-8 overall and 1-2 in Conference USA action. Charlotte, meanwhile, falls to 11-9 overall and 2-1 in league play.

Tulane was able to get on the board first, capitalizing on a pair of hit-by-pitch from Maine to put two on with nobody out in the third. From there, the Green Wave were able to plate a run without the luxury of a hit as Brooks Shankle advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman shortstop Tommy Manzella and an RBI groundout by centerfielder Jon Kaplan.

Jurries and Aubrey kept the pressure on Maine in the next inning as the duo hit back-to-back singles to leadoff the fourth before right fielder Gerald Clark hammered his third home run of the series to make it 4-0 in favor of the Green Wave.

Charlotte took advantage of a Tulane error in the top of the fifth to plate a pair of runs on a two-RBI double by right fielder Thomas Bowker, but the Green Wave answered in the home half of the inning with a two runs of their own courtesy of Jurries' first homer of the afternoon - a two-run bomb to left center.

Maine appeared ready to shut down the side in the bottom of the sixth, but with two out, Manzella belted a triple to dead center and later scored on a wild pitch. After Kaplan walked, Maine was replaced by Matt Landphair who promptly walked first baseman Chris Taylor before serving up a three-run blast to Jurries one batter later to make it 10-2 in favor of the Green Wave.

The 49ers sparked a rally in the seventh as a tiring Aubrey plunked second baseman George Sandel and gave up consecutive singles to Brad Lamm, Brad Erwin and Bowker to cut the lead to 10-4. Kelly Comarda replaced Aubrey after Bowker's RBI single, and sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a two-RBI double by catcher Brad Halvorson to get out of the inning.

With the score at 10-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh, catcher Scott Madden pushed the lead to five with an RBI single to left which plated left fielder Bryan Stelmack from second. But the Green Wave would put the game away on the eighth, scoring five runs on two singles and two doubles to account for the final score as the game was called by the C-USA mandated Sunday 10-run rule.

Aubrey, Clark, Madden and Manzella all had two-hit performances, and Clark and Madden each tallied three RBI in the victory. Erwin and Bowker each had two hits for the 49ers in the loss.

The Green Wave returns to action on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Zephyr Field in the first game of the Popeye's Cup race between cross-town rival UNO and Tulane. The Popeye's Cup will go to the three-game series winner between the two schools as the Privateers and the Green Wave play midweek games on April 17 and April 23.